
fierce the tempest, those who turn
,
to Jesus with the cry, 'Lord,
save: us,'.•will • find deliverance. His grace, that reconciles the
soul to God, quiets the strife of human passion, and in His
love the heart is at rest."—"The
Desire of Ages,",pp. 335-337.
2.
The account in Mark, like the ..one in Luke, mentions only
one man possessed with devils; but in Matthew, it is stated that
there were two men. One of them was doubtless more con-
spicuous than the other, and special attention is directed to him
by Mark and Luke, who give more of the details than does
Matthew.
3.
In this lesson, we have' an example of Christ's mastery
over. the powers of darkness. Satan, the chief of devils, is
Apollyon, the destroyer. Rev. 9: it. Christ is "the Prince of
Peace." Isa. 9: 6. The devils, true to their nature, were tor-
menting the poor man—driving him to and fro like the waves
of the sea driven by the winds. Christ, true to His nature, spoke
peace, 'and the 'troubled soul had rest. What a perfect parallel
this miracle was to the stilling of the tempest! Let this word ever
be the joy of the tempted one: Christ is more 'powerful than
Satan, for He has "spoiled principalities and poWers.", "These
things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace.
In..the. world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer;
I have overcome the world." John 16:
33.
4.
"With authority He bade the unclean spirits come out of
them. His words penetrated the darkened minds of the unfor-
tunate men. They realized dimly that One was near who could
save them from the tormenting demons. They fell at the Sav-
iour's feet to worship Him ; but when their lips were opened to
entreat His mercy, the demons spoke through them, crying
vehemently, 'What have I to do with Thee, Jesus. Thou Son of
God most high? I beseech Thee, torment me not.' Jesus asked.
'What is thy name?' And the answer was, 'My name is Legion ;
for we are many.' Using the afflicted men as mediums of com-
munication, they besought Jesus not to send them out of the
country."—"The
Desire of Ages," p. 338.
5.
"The demons were permitted to sweep a herd of swine into
the sea • and to the dwellers of Gadara the loss. of these out-
weighed the blessings which Christ had bestowed, and the divine
Healer was entreated to depart. This was the result which
Satan designed to secure. By casting the blame of their loss
upon Jesus, he aroused the selfish fears of the people, and
prevented them from listening to His words. .
. But the
purPoses
.
of Christ were not thwarted. He allowed :the evil spirits
to,destroy the herd of swine as a rebuke to those Jews who were
raising these unclean beasts for the sake of gain.
'=•--"The Great
Controversy," p. 515.
t:..6.:The
man out of whom the devils were cast wanted to be
with-Jesus. That was a most natural desire; but Jesus said to
him,'MReturti to thine own house, and show 'how great things
Gody.hdth done unto thee." • God saves men for *service. "Ye
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